Ten Hasselblad cameras up for grabs in 2016 Masters competition

Swedish medium format camera manufacturer Hasselblad has launched its 2016 Hasselblad Masters competition, and will be giving away a total of ten cameras as prizes to winners. Open to 'active professionals' using film or digital cameras that have at least 16MP, the competition features 10 categories including a new street/urban section that seems angled at more positive images of city life. A category called Project//21 is open to all photographers under the age of 21.

Entrants are asked to upload three images for each category entered, and are warned that each image will be judged on its own merits, not as part of a set. A shortlist of 100 images will be created and the ten finalists will be selected by public vote.

The categories are:

ArtHigh-quality images that have been created by an individual to fulfill their creative vision.

Landscape/NaturePhotographs that capture the beauty of the natural world in all its forms, from stunning landscapes through to perfectly executed images of flora and fauna.

WeddingThis category is open to photographers capturing outstanding images of any aspect of a wedding in styles that range from the traditional through to the more individual approach.

PortraitA wide-open category that covers any photography of the human form, ranging from full-length studies through to head and shoulders and close-ups, with the emphasis on creativity.

Fashion/BeautyThe glitz and glamour of the fashion and beauty world is covered by this category, and we’re looking for some inventive and exciting work that truly reflects the dynamism of this sector.

ProductHere the definition of product is as far ranging as the photographer wants to make it, with subjects ranging from cars through to food or packaging being equally eligible, while the brief could be a commercial one or self set.

ArchitectureWith every type of building from the grand through to the humble being open to photographers, we’re looking for an imaginative interpretation of the architectural theme.

WildlifeA wide open category that covers all forms of wildlife, from the huge through to the tiny. Our only stipulation is that images depict living creatures and any entries showing stuffed or dead animals will be automatically excluded.

P r o j e c t // 2 1Project//21 is a general photographic category open to all amateur photographers, students, assistants and young professionals 21 years old and under.

Street/UrbanThe category here is the realism of the genre; not just gritty street photography, but also the city itself (and its life) and the people who live in it.

Part of the prize will be a place in the Hasselblad Masters book and touring exhibition, and the ten winners will be loaned Hasselblad equipment for four months to produce a themed set of 10-20 images each on a subject of their own choice.

Entered images do not have to have been shot on Hasselblad equipment, although those for the book do. The closing date for the competition is 31st May 2015, and the winners will be announced on 16th February 2016. Hasselblad has not stated which of its cameras it will be giving away to the winners. You can read more about the competition on the Hasselblad website, and the rules for entry are available as a download.

Wait, what? Are they 'giving away' or loaning 10 cameras? Not sure if that's Hassy's write-up above or DPR's, but when I give away something I usually don't expect it back.

That aside, it looks like a fun contest and could be a useful step up for a few budding photographers. I wouldn't fuss too much over the 'professional' clause. Easy enough to claim your 'professional' status if push comes to shove and if you're images are >good<, Hassy would be all the more fool to turn you away for not being 'professional'.

If you place, you will be working on a personal ( or professional ) project of your choice with a lot of their gear *and* also receiving a camera to own as part of the prize. The camera has not yet been determined so with the lack of that detail, it is easy to misinterpret. Also, they will be pretty strict in establishing eligibility in terms of actually earning a living in photography and I am glad for that. While a small portion of the amateur set can claim a byline to a really good image now and then, it is still largely pros who have a much deeper and total level of talent displayed in their chosen genre for a whole host of reasons leading to a far better body of work as a whole.

I know this by personal example since there is simply no way in heck I would have gotten a lot of the images I have for the past 25 years if I had to answer to someone with a non-photography day job. I think enthusiasts tend to look down on the pro set as if all are struggling to keep low paying wedding and other bottom rung work when in reality, some of us are living a photographic life you can not even imagine.

I am SO ready to bet that the "themed set of 10-20 images each on a subject of their own choice" that will come out of the winners vision through the use of those "4-months-prize-loaned" Hasselblads will be subjected to very fine print in a camera pre-delivery agreement that grants Hasselblad co-ownership of the so created 10-20 images set.

If it is so, what is really happening here is Hasselblad coming up with an elaborate pseudo-contest scheme to get their hands on certainly very inspired promotional material at very, very low cost and "0" monetary compensation for the photographers.

If such signed agreement is presented to the "winners", Hasselblad is competing for the "Manufacturers Douchbag Promotion Award", right there, nose-to-nose with PhaseOne.

I am getting so sick of these manipulative-proto-smart marketing "ideas".

In plain old good Portuguese, we call it "Xico-Espertice". Maybe we should come up with a neologism in English to describe these kind of practices.

You have it correct! This is a pathetic come-on to get talented people to work for free and give their talent away for nothing...not even a camera. Low class.Wrapping it in an "opportunity" gift wrap. This is as bad or worse than the unpaid work/study/internship scams at businesses, which amounts to slave labor!

I rarely if ever enter photo contests because they are usually rights grabs aimed squarely at the enthusiast crowd preying upon their complete lack of business acumen and giving the promise of "exposure" as if that alone is worth something. That being said I know some previous winners of the Hasselblad Master designation and overall it is a good thing to have and to able to use in self promotional drives.

I read the fine print, there are some rights granted but it is not anything like the ones that most so called "contests" aim to do. I am not disagreeing with what you are saying as a general rule for the whole of the photo contest rights grab movement, but this is a much more established competition with a lot of prestige that goes with it. Hasselblad also knows that in restricting the contest to pros only for the most part that fine print tends to be read a lot more often so it is highly unlikely they would be pulling any fast ones.

I do wonder about the needing to use their digital products for the set of images though, I can see using the CFV50c back but not anything else really as my use of digital has fallen sharply by the wayside in the past 5 years professionally speaking, I use black and white film for close to 90% of my darkroom based final output. Could prove interesting if I were to place...

Hi hear you FR but, no matter how respectable they are or how good for the photographer the given "exposure" might be, the core facts remain.

A contest/competition featuring prizes has always been construed as a "you enter/we give you the prize" straightforward endeavor.

When did it start to be OK to (1) not actually giving a prize but just loaning it (if the promoter can't afford the prize, just don't do the promotion) and (2) the "we also get something", quid-pro-quo, angle?

A Hasselblad is a respected name in photography. It was the brand name on the moon, for Pete's sake.

...so either (1) make the promotion, bite the bullet and give the cameras away to the most deserving pros or (2) hire the winning pros and propose a discounted price for promotional material, based on the said good exposure.

They are indeed giving away camwras as prizes, they have yet to announce what ones though. This is in addition to having a high end kit to use to produce the body of work. No sense in saying the sky is falling until it hits you in the head, especially with the announcement of even the finalists so far out.

It sure can be done with a an old 100$ film camera and another 100$ manual lens...

* However, if the client wants the image to be ready really fast, it would better use a digital camera...* And if the size of the print is to be huge, then a high megapixel camera is needed...* And if it is desired a sharp, detailed image, then a high quality lens is needed...* And if a good DOF control is required, then a fast lens is needed (in combination with a large enough sensor)...* And then to create a desired mood, a though through studio setup is needed (lights, bg)* And if your jobs as a photographer include more than "just this portrait", of course you have to buy an equipment up to all the tasks you do...

Yes, the photographer is the creator of the image, but what's the harm in having the best tools?

I agree with both of you... yes "Wedding photographer", the photographer is key. But as Badi says, if a client needs exceptionally high resolution with detail, it's best that your amazing photo fits the requirement.

Limited to those Pros "who are using digital cameras of at least 16 Megapixels". How utterly pathetic. So they want images from my 18Mp 7D not my superior 12.9Mp 5D! So nothing from my X100 or any previous camera let alone SD14 or Fuji S2 pro

I don't think that being a pro photographer necessarily has all that much to do with one being a great artistic photographer. Sure, for categories like wedding and product shots nearly everyone doing it is pro... bit for the rest, I'd be willing to bet that a lot of my favorites would come from the amateur crowd. Pro's are the ones who can take the most consistent photos in any situation because they tend to really know the technique, but I don't think that they really have any corner on the creative vision part of it... I think that it's a kind of sad oversight that they competition isn't open to all.

Sounds like sour grapes to me, most of the very best imagery ever made has been made by pros and is likely to stay that way. I applaud them for doing this, pros need a serious break from the constant drone of wannabe amatuers.

This is manufactured and market as a professional tool.It is then only natural that they want to raise awareness through a competition aimed at professionals, not at all type of photographers (...one of whom may, obviously, be better in one of those specific categories than a given professional).

I'm so sick of people pulling out Vivian Maier as an example. Yes her work was good. BUT she never intended you to see it. And you never would have, but some dude found her negatives and decided to make money from them long after she was dead.

Do you think it would have been easy for a nanny is the 50's to publish her work?

The fact that it was not published does not mean she did not try to, especially because, being quite a seclusive person, many details of her life's details remain unknown.

For all we know, she may have gone to Life Magazine half a dozen times just to have her work turned down.

That derision of "dude that found her negatives" is, in my view, ill-placed because, for once and in her case we are not faced with a promotional stunt squeezing nothing out of a "wanna be" artist.

Her work consistently and repeatedly shows us she was the deal.

Myself, I will be forever grateful to the "dude" that brought her to the public eyes and can only but wish that some self-appointed "street photographers" (...many, oh so many, in the Leica forum...) could take a good look at her photos and understand what makes "photographing in the street" magically turn into actual "street photography".

Yes - she were very good. But - it is quite obvious that she only wanted to take the photos. She was satisfied with catching the images on negatives. Such people exist today also - they take lots of digital images - and never print them and never do anything else with them except storing them.

The fact that you think that the "dude that found her negatives" was lucky and don't understand that, far from luck, he had the understanding required to recognize what he stumbled upon makes me happy that you - in your non-delusional but amusing certitude- were not the one to find them.

As per under appreciated photographer fantasies, you are the one to talk about them because, myself, I never evoked nothing of the kind.

You declared "she never intended you to see it", I questioned it, and you decided to be obnoxiously patronizing in your reply.

The fact remains, though: Unless you have psychic powers, you can't tell for sure if she wanted or did not want us to see her work, had or had not printed proofs that were eventually destroyed, was happy or not being a nanny or what ambitions she had or had not.

All we have are glorious Street Photography pictures, courtesy of the "dude" you referred to.

They are what they are, irrespectively, even, of what Vivian Maier thought of her own work.

...And, most certainly, they are what they are irrespectively of how sore you might be about the "dude" that discovered them.

And you have psychic powers that says that she "DID" have aspirations? Nope.

Here's a quote from "the dude who a made the film about her:""She was a Socialist, a Feminist, a movie critic, and a tell-it-like-it-is type of person. She learned English by going to theaters, which she loved. ... She was constantly taking pictures, which she didn't show anyone."

Re-read that last sentence Einstein. The guy you are defending said it, so it MUST be true, right?

If you see the absolute brilliant , story-serving documentary "Finding Vivien Maier", you'll be able to verify that even Mr. Maloof, himself, is not certain of her intentions.

There are, however, clues.

If you take the time to see the documentary and preserve your mind from being blown by both the selected displayed works and the multi-level, almost "palimpsestic" readings the story provides in such multiple levels as how photography relates to contemporary art, human relations, empathy stratification and other human and psychological perspectives, you'll be able to locate parts of the documentary that will clue you in to this particular subject.

To that extent, take notice on how two of her closest friends (...in as much as she had "friends"...) give exact opposite replies to the question of whether she would have wanted to have her work shown.

The 2 replies are masterly edited in sequence, for the benefit of not so self-assured persons as you seem to be.

Further to this, take notice of the part about the letter she wrote back to a photo shop owner she met while visiting France. In it, she clearly states her intention to have prints made. She clearly states that the work she was getting in the States (from wherever it was) was not satisfactory. In the very same letter there's also a clue on how she had a pretty good idea of how valid her work was.

Thomas,

You could have elected to reply to that simple question of mine with an also simple "No, I don't" or with "Yes, check this link to a quote from her".

Instead, you chose a 3rd course of interaction that only shows how little you know about her work and what it means and how you seem to resent Mr. John Maloof, commendable (...and lucrative, yes...) endeavor.

I would suggest you familiarize yourself a bit more deeply with the subjects you feel a need to express negatively about, if for nothing else, to allow other's to fully encompass your perspective.

I'll be entering this time around. My Hassy film kit is massive and the projects I have been gnawing away at for the past three years are looking really solid.

I don't care as much about the camera as a prize as I do the possibility of winning for self promotion and marketing purposes. Hasselblad has become my most important system for earning a living...I'll take a CFV50 I suppose.

That is the "clou". There is no camera you get for prize that will be your's. They lend you a camera for 4 month only. I call that simply scam.

Then what is the "Professional" only game for. Give all people of this world a chance, many amateurs can outperform "Pro's" in just a fraction of a second. The practice has shown that you do not need a 27500$ body and a 10000$ lens to shoot an outstanding picture.

Well, maybe I should buy a Hassy branded RX100 for the fire sale price and make a gooood performance, but just ask myself what I will win, something that will belong to me, like 30000$ for example ..............sic

1 - - "Open to 'active professionals' using film or digital cameras that have at least 16MP, the competition features 10 categories including a new street/urban section that seems angled at more positive images of city life." - - to me, this means LIMITED TO 'photographers currently making their living or getting paid to take pictures'. There is NO age limit but Retired Pro Photographers are not eligible.

While the rule is NOT EXPLICIT to what PROFESSION, I interpret it to mean PHOTOGRAPHERS. NOT just any professionals, i.e. lawyers, athletes, engineers, ad infinitum who just casually take photos.

2 - - "A category called Project//21 is open to all photographers under the age of 21."- - to me, the age ceiling is 20 years, regardless of photographer status (Pro v Amateur). I made a descent income as a photographer when I was 16 to 20 years of age to support myself thru college.

I like how Hasselblad is giving photographers a chance at exposure, but all the people posting are whiny babies crying about it.

Instead of bitching and complaining how awful everything is, why don't you enter and PROVE to everyone how bad-ass of a photographer you are? Or would you rather post "words" telling everyone how good you are, but never showing a photo to anyone?

That's because most real photographers are out making photographs, not staring at DPReview waiting for the announcement of the perfect camera so they can finally make the perfect picture to win the competition that will give them fame, glory, and boatloads of money.

Any camera can yield great results in the right hands at the right place. That doesn't excuse them from placing an arbitrary limit on the most foolish of all camera specs on which they could place one. Do they really think a 30"x20" print (or larger) from an S5 will look better than one from a D3s, D700, A7s, 5DC, etc.?

That's beside the point. Whether he does know how this works or not doesn't change the fact that by entering, you'd have a tiny chance of winning, while by whining you have no chance of earning anything.

Didi you read the actual rules? There's a panel of professional judges who chose the photos. Then they put it to the public vote. Then another panel of professionals narrows it down. They take into "consideration" the public vote, but ultimately the decision is made by a panel of professional photographers

See you sit there and bitch about it, but you don't even bother to look at the rules.

they are announced, not the model, but what you get, read it. To enter the book the shots need to be taken with a Hasselblad camera, and the first 10 will get a Hasselblad camera loaned for 4 month. That is what you can win, Hahahahahahaha. Keep that for April 1st.

One of my friends is among last year's winners; and although he received a nice suitcase with an H4D-40 and a couple lenses, he will have to return it some day.I got to try that gear too, and we both agree to say we'd rather have a 645Z.

The prize is not a camera the prize is you are loaned a camera and you produce images for hasselblad that i am sure the fine print says they can do as they please with. So the prize is you work for free for hasselbald.

"PART of the prize will be a place in the Hasselblad Masters book and touring exhibition, and the ten winners will be loaned Hasselblad equipment for four months to produce a themed set of 10-20 images each on a subject of their own choice."

The other part is a camera, which has yet to be announced. Even if it's a Lunar, it's FREE. Trade it in if you hate it.

1) See post below yours2) It's not "fame" it's exposure. Which is especially important for young unpublished photographers.3) The more marketing of the book, the more exposure you get. I have the same clause in my books. Also if you read the contract you RETAIN FULL RIGHTS TO YOUR IMAGES. That means you can license them out to people that see them in the Hassy book.

2015-02-16 The new Masters Awards 2016 programme is the most compelling ever for the world’s most accomplished photographers. For this edition we have new categories and each of the ten winners will not only gain a Hasselblad Master accolade and global exposure but also a new high-end Hasselblad medium format camera.

AND

Part of the prize will be a place in the Hasselblad Masters book and touring exhibition, and the ten winners will be loaned Hasselblad equipment for four months to produce a themed set of 10-20 images each on a subject of their own choice.

Entered images do not have to have been shot on Hasselblad equipment, although those for the book do. The closing date for the competition is 31st May 2015, and the winners will be announced on 16th February 2016. Hasselblad has not stated which of its cameras it will be giving away to the winners.

@Fri13: How dumb are you really? Can't you understand that they loan you equipment to make photos for the book and exhibition, I'm guessing the REALLY expensive stuff. AND you get a FREE CAMERA TOO! It's probably one of the mirrorless cameras, but it's FREE.

Seriously. Read the damn thing the whole way through. And read it for comprehension, don't skim through it. Then THINK about what you read. Then come back and post something that makes sense.

Stop posting lies or the misconceptions you got from being too lazy to read or too dumb to understand a very plain set of rules.

Is ti me or do the Hasselblad contests always choose strangely retentive/snobby styles? It's like the equivalent of super model fashion where the top ones are skin and bones and only appeal to a small group of out of touch snobs? There's just a certain artsy lifelessness they always seem to like the most.

It would be cool to win a Hassy and then sell it off for a bunch of other gear, tough. :)

If they lend you a Hassy Pro gear for 4 month, that means that the one you get to keep is a wood grip RX100. Why should they lend you a Pro gear if their intents where to give you one for free as a prize? Think first? Beyond the Pro gear, there is only the RX100 or the NEX-7, they had and have nothing else.

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